Reducing missed appointments with SMS reminders

A missed appointment is lost time for staff and often a delayed service for someone else. Automated reminders are one of the simplest, most useful integrations a booking system can have.

When to send

A common pattern is a reminder a day or two before and another a few hours before. Test what works for your clients — too many reminders become noise.

What to include

• Your organisation's name (as the sender ID).
• Date, time and location.
• How to confirm, cancel or reschedule.
• Nothing sensitive: avoid diagnoses or personal details in the text.

Let people respond

Allow replies such as "1 to confirm, 2 to reschedule", or include a link to a simple page. A cancellation received a day early is far better than a no-show.

Connect it to the schedule

Reminders should be generated from the booking system, not a separate spreadsheet. When an appointment moves, the reminders move with it.

Measure the effect

Compare attendance before and after introducing reminders, and by reminder timing, so you can tune the approach.

See how we integrate SMS reminders with your systems.