How to send an appointment reminder: email, text or WhatsApp

Why a reminder works

Most clients who don't show up simply forgot. Between booking and the appointment there is often a week or more. In that time enough happens to push an appointment out of anyone's head.

A reminder does three things at once. It jogs your client's memory. It confirms the time, so nobody turns up a day early or late. And it gives your client an easy way out when it doesn't work: reschedule instead of stay away.

That last one matters. A client who reschedules in time leaves you a slot you can still fill. A client who says nothing leaves you with an empty hour. What that costs is in what a no show costs you. For the full approach, read how to reduce no shows.

Email, text or WhatsApp: which channel do you pick?

The best channel is the one your client actually opens. That differs per group of clients, so think about who yours are.

To be sure the message arrives, combine two channels. WhatsApp for the quick glance and email for the details is a good pair. Two messages per appointment is fine, as long as you send them at different moments or they each say something different.

What it costs depends on how you send it. By hand it costs you time. Through a booking system it is sometimes part of the subscription and sometimes charged per message. Check that before you choose.

When to send an appointment reminder

One message at the right moment does more than three at the wrong one.

The day before is the moment that works for most businesses. Your client can still plan, and you can still fill the slot if they cancel. Send it during the day, not in the middle of the night.

If you have appointments on Monday, the reminder goes out on Sunday. Rescheduling stays possible even when you are closed, as long as your client can do it themselves.

What belongs in a reminder?

Keep it short. A reminder is not a letter. Your client should see within five seconds when and where they are expected.

• The name of your business, so your client knows who the message is from
• The day and the time of the appointment
• The treatment or type of appointment
• The address, and where to go in if that isn't obvious
• What your client should bring, such as a towel, a referral letter or earlier photos
• How to reschedule or cancel
• If you like, one sentence on what happens with a late cancellation

Put the most important information first. When the message shows on a locked screen, only the first line gets read.

Sample reminder texts you can copy

Adjust the texts to your business and your terms. Whatever is in square brackets, you fill in yourself.

WhatsApp

Hi Emma, see you tomorrow at 11 am at [name of your business], [address]. Please bring a towel and your referral letter. Can't make it? Reschedule via [link] and we will find another time.

Email

Subject: Your appointment tomorrow at 11 am

Hi Emma,

A quick reminder of your appointment tomorrow, Thursday 15 October, at 11 am at [name of your business], [address]. It is for [treatment], 60 minutes.

Please bring a towel and your referral letter.

Can't make it? Reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before your appointment via [link]. It is free of charge.

See you tomorrow!
[Your name]

Text message

[Name]: reminder for tomorrow at 11 am. You can reschedule up to 24 hours before via [link]. See you then!

For an appointment with a deposit

Hi Sara, your gel polish appointment is confirmed for Friday at 2 pm. Your deposit is paid and will be deducted from your treatment. Can't make it? Reschedule up to 24 hours before and your deposit carries over to the new appointment.

Should your client confirm the reminder?

Some businesses ask for a confirmation: reply yes to keep your appointment. That gives certainty, but it also gives you work. Anyone who doesn't reply has to be chased or phoned. And you still don't know whether they will come.

For most businesses a reminder with an easy way to reschedule is enough. Your client only has to do something when it doesn't work.

Keep confirmations for appointments where an empty slot costs a lot, such as a long treatment or a B&B room. A confirmation you have to chase yourself costs time you don't have.

What privacy and consent rules allow

This is factual information and not legal advice. The points below follow Belgian and EU practice. If you are unsure, ask a lawyer or the Belgian Data Protection Authority.

A reminder for an appointment your client booked

Your client booked an appointment and gave you their details for it. A message that only concerns that appointment stays within what they gave the details for. Use their mobile number and email address only for what they gave them for.

Promotion is something else

If you add a promotion, a discount code or a newsletter to the same reminder, it is no longer a plain reminder. For marketing by email or text message you generally need your client's consent. Keep your reminders clean, and ask for consent separately if you want to send a newsletter.

Leave out sensitive details

A reminder can show up on a locked screen or be read by someone else. So don't write why someone is coming if that is sensitive. For a healthcare practice, your appointment tomorrow at 11 am is enough. The reason for the visit does not belong in it.

Tell your client what you do

If your privacy statement says you send reminders, your client knows. If you need a data processing agreement for your clients' details, you can find the Bookable data processing agreement online.

Sending reminders yourself: how to keep it going

Without a system it works too. It takes a fixed routine.

• Pick a fixed moment each day to look at tomorrow's appointments, for example 4 pm
• Use a text you copy, so you never retype anything
• Note in your diary which reminders have gone out
• On busy days, start with clients who have a long or expensive appointment

Worked example with your own assumptions: say you have 12 appointments a day and each reminder takes you a minute and a half to look up, copy and send. That is 18 minutes a day and roughly 6.5 hours a month over 22 working days.

It works for as long as you keep it up. On a sick day or with a full diary, this is the work that goes first.

How Bookable does this

Bookable sends the reminder for you. You do nothing.

The day before, by default

Every client gets a reminder the day before by WhatsApp and email. It is included in every plan, Start and Praktijk alike, with no cost per message.

With everything it needs

The reminder contains the day and time, the treatment and your address. If you write in a treatment description what your client should bring, that is added to the reminder. So you don't have to rewrite it for every client. You find the settings in the help centre.

Rescheduling with Praktijk

With Praktijk, the reminder contains a link your client uses to reschedule or cancel themselves, within the rules you set. Your client doesn't have to phone and you don't have to reply. When a slot is full, a client can join the waiting list.

Text message reminders as an extra

Want to send text message reminders too? That is possible as an extra, for a small additional fee. See the pricing or send us a message.

A deposit on top

People who have paid turn up or let you know. You ask for the deposit when booking, with Bancontact or iDEAL, and it is deducted from the treatment. Read asking your clients for a deposit.

Bookable Start costs from €29 a month when billed yearly and from €34 billed monthly. Praktijk costs from €49, or from €58 billed monthly. You try it free for 14 days, without a card. Also see the pages for nail salons, physiotherapists and massage practices.

Frequently asked questions