- Send the confirmation straight after booking, not the evening before.
- Always include the weekday, the time, the treatment, your address and your cancellation terms.
- A confirmation is not a reminder. You need both.
- Booked over the phone? Still send a written confirmation. It is your proof.
In this article
- Why confirm an appointment the client already knows about?
- What should an appointment confirmation include?
- How is it different from a reminder?
- Template: confirmation by email
- Template: short text or WhatsApp message
- Template: confirmation with a deposit
- How do you confirm an appointment made by phone?
- Which mistakes should you avoid?
- How Bookable handles it
- Frequently asked questions
Why confirm an appointment the client already knows about?
Your client books on Monday evening for Thursday. She thinks it was Tuesday, or that you start at 2pm rather than 2.30pm. You find out when she does not turn up, or when she sits in your waiting room for half an hour. A confirmation puts the appointment in writing while it is still fresh.
There are four reasons to send one every time, regulars included.
- 1Mistakes surface straight away. If the day or time is wrong, the client spots it while reading and can put it right.
- 2You keep proof of your terms. If you ever want to charge for a missed appointment, you need to show the client knew your rules when they booked. A confirmation that repeats them is the simplest proof there is.
- 3The client turns up prepared. What to bring, where to park, whether to come without make up: it is all in the message.
- 4Fewer phone calls. Anyone unsure checks their inbox instead of ringing you mid treatment.
If you want to know when you can actually charge for a no show in Belgium, read charging a no show fee in Belgium.
What should an appointment confirmation include?
A good confirmation is short. Your client should see in ten seconds where to be and when. Tick off this list before you write your own.
| Item | Why | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday and date | 23/10 on its own is easy to misread | Thursday 23 October |
| Time and length | The client plans the day around it | At 2.30pm, about 45 minutes |
| Treatment | They know what happens and what it costs | Ladies cut, from €52.50 |
| With whom | In a team, clients like to know who they will see | With Sofie |
| Address and access | New clients cannot find your door otherwise | 12 Church Street, parking on the square |
| Deposit | The client sees what is already paid | You paid a €10 deposit |
| Cancellation terms | Your proof that they knew | Free to move up to 24 hours before |
| Move or cancel | So they do not have to call | Link or phone number |
| A sender who reads replies | Questions should reach you | Your own name and email address |
No need for a wall of text. A confirmation with these nine points fits on a phone screen without scrolling.
How is it different from a reminder?
The confirmation goes out straight after booking. The reminder goes out shortly before the appointment, usually 24 to 48 hours ahead. They do different jobs.
The confirmation says: this is what we agreed, is that right? The reminder says: remember, it is tomorrow. Someone who books in September for December will have forgotten the confirmation by then. So you need both.
For writing a good reminder and timing it well, read how to send an appointment reminder. This article is about the confirmation only.
Template: confirmation by email
This works for a salon, a clinic or a studio. Replace the bits in brackets and drop anything that does not apply to you.
Hi [first name],
Thanks for booking. Here are the details:
When: Thursday 23 October at 2.30pm, about 45 minutes
What: [treatment], from [price]
With: [staff member]
Where: [street and number, town]. [Parking or how to get in.]
Can't make it? Move or cancel for free up to 24 hours before via [link] or on [phone number]. If you cancel later or do not turn up, [what you charge or keep].
Any questions? Just reply to this email.
See you Thursday,
[your name]
[business name]
The subject line already holds the day and the time. Even if the email stays unopened, the client sees both in their inbox. That alone prevents a share of the mix ups.
Template: short text or WhatsApp message
A text or WhatsApp message gets read at a glance. Keep it shorter than an email and sum up your terms in one sentence.
For a salon
For a clinic
If you work in healthcare, leave the reason for the visit out of texts and WhatsApp messages. Notifications can pop up on a locked screen where anyone nearby can read them. Just write appointment.
Template: confirmation with a deposit
If you take a deposit, the client wants to see that the payment arrived. State the amount and the cancellation rule. That saves any argument later.
Your [treatment] on [day date] at [time] is confirmed. We have received your deposit of [amount], which comes off the price of your treatment.
Cancel up to [number] hours before and you get the deposit back. Cancel later or miss the appointment and we keep the deposit.
See you soon,
[your name]
Still unsure about deposits? Asking your clients for a deposit covers how much to ask and how clients react.
How do you confirm an appointment made by phone?
On the phone, everything is agreed out loud. The client might jot it on a scrap of paper, or not at all. That is exactly where things go wrong.
After every call, send a short confirmation by text, WhatsApp or email within the hour, using the same wording as above. The client has it in writing, and you have proof they received your terms. A verbal agreement about a cancellation charge is hard to prove later.
Clients who prefer to sort things out themselves can have your booking link. They then get the confirmation automatically and you send nothing.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- A date without the weekday. Thursday reads better than 23/10.
- No address because regulars know it. New clients do not.
- Terms hidden behind a link. Put the gist in the message itself.
- Sending it the evening before. By then it is a reminder, not a confirmation.
- A sending address nobody reads. A client who replies has to reach you.
- Sensitive details in a text, such as the reason for a consultation.
- A tone that does not match the rest of your business. If you are on first name terms at the desk, be the same in writing.
Read your text out loud before you save it. If it sounds like you at the front desk, you have got it right.
How Bookable handles it
With Bookable, clients book themselves through your booking link or mini website. Straight after booking they get a confirmation by email with the day, time, treatment and your address. Before the appointment a reminder follows by WhatsApp and email. You send nothing yourself.
If you ask for a deposit through Mollie, the client pays with Bancontact or iDEAL in the last step of booking, and the money goes straight to your own Mollie account. On the Praktijk plan, the confirmation also holds the links clients use to move or cancel their own appointment, within the rules you set.
| What you want | Start | Praktijk |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmation after booking | Included | Included |
| Reminder by WhatsApp and email | Included | Included |
| Deposit via Mollie and Bancontact | Included | Included |
| Clients move their own appointment | Not included | Included |
| Price | from €29 a month, paid yearly | from €49 a month, paid yearly |
Paying monthly, it is from €34 for Start and from €58 for Praktijk. Try it free for 14 days, no card needed. Full details are on the pricing page.
- No card needed
- No commission
- Cancel monthly or yearly
Frequently asked questions
What is an appointment confirmation?
A short message the client receives right after booking, with the day, time, treatment, address and your cancellation terms.
Should I confirm by email or by text?
Both work. Email suits a longer message with terms and a link. A text or WhatsApp message gets read faster. Use whatever your clients open first.
When should I send the confirmation?
Straight after the booking, or within an hour of a phone call. Shortly before the appointment you send a reminder as well.
Do my cancellation terms belong in the confirmation?
Yes, at least the gist. To charge for a missed appointment you need to show the client knew your rules when they booked.
Can I put the reason for the visit in a text?
Better not for anything health related. Notifications can show on a locked screen. Just write appointment.
Does Bookable send the confirmation for me?
Yes. Every booking triggers a confirmation email, and a reminder by WhatsApp and email follows before the appointment.
Founder of Bookable. Questions about this article or about your own business? Send a message whenever you like. A real person replies, within 24 hours.