Appointment reminder messages: 20 SMS and WhatsApp templates
Copy-ready texts for every step: the confirmation, the day-before reminder, after a cancellation or a no-show, recurring appointments and the waitlist.
Этот гид пока доступен на одном языке: English.
Коротко
- A good reminder says who, when and where, asks one question ("are you coming?") and gives a one-tap way to cancel. Everything beyond that is noise.
- Timing matters as much as wording: a reminder the day before gives the client time to cancel properly; a short one a few hours before protects long treatments.
- On WhatsApp, a message the business initiates goes out as a pre-approved template and only to people who agreed to hear from you. SMS text is free-form, but the consent rules are similar.
What a good reminder does
A good reminder does four things, and no more. It says who is sending it and to whom. It says when and where, including the service. It asks one question that can be answered in a word: are you coming? And it gives a way to cancel or move the appointment in one tap, with no phone call.
Everything beyond that — a promotion, a request to follow you on social media, three emojis — lowers the chance that the client does the one thing that matters: answer. A systematic review by Cochrane found that mobile phone message reminders improve attendance at appointments compared with no reminder. The reminders studied were short and factual. That is the model.
When to send
| When | Why | Which appointments |
|---|---|---|
| Right after booking | Confirmation: the client sees the booking went through and keeps the details | Every appointment |
| The day before, during the day | The last moment when a cancellation still lets you fill the slot | Every appointment |
| Two or three hours before | For whoever forgot even after yesterday's reminder | Long or expensive treatments |
| After a cancellation | To book a new date before the client disappears | Every cancellation |
| After a no-show | To keep the relationship and restate the rules | Every no-show |
The hour matters: a reminder at seven in the morning or eleven at night annoys, however perfect the wording. Between nine in the morning and eight in the evening is a reasonable range for most businesses.
SMS or WhatsApp
Both channels work, and their rules differ. On SMS the text is free-form, the message reaches every phone, and the cost is per message. On WhatsApp the message is read more and is easier to answer, but a business-initiated message (a reminder is one) must be a template approved in advance, under Meta's template guidelines, and may only go to people who agreed to hear from the business, under the Business Messaging Policy.
Consent is not a problem when the client booked the appointment themselves and agreed to receive messages about it. It is a problem when the same channel is used for promotions. Do not mix them: an appointment reminder is a service message; a promotion is advertising that needs separate consent.
20 templates to copy
The templates use placeholders in curly brackets. Replace them with the real details, or leave them as they are if your system fills them in.
Booking confirmation
Hi {name}, your appointment for {service} at {business} is booked for {day} {date} at {time}. To change or cancel: {link}. See you!Hi {name}, booked: {service} on {day} {date} at {time}, at {business}, {address}. Move or cancel here: {link}.Hi {name}, your appointment for {service} is booked for {day} {date} at {time}. Before the treatment: {preparation}. Change or cancel: {link}.The day-before reminder
Hi {name}, a reminder: tomorrow {day} at {time} you have an appointment for {service} at {business}. Are you coming? Confirm or cancel here: {link}.{name}, tomorrow at {time}: {service} at {business}. Confirm or cancel: {link}.Hi {name}, tomorrow at {time} is your appointment for {service}. If anything has changed, you can cancel at no charge until {deadline} here: {link}. After that our cancellation policy applies.Hi {name}, we are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at {time} for {service}. We are at {address}, {directions}. If you need to move it: {link}.The short reminder before the treatment
{name}, see you in two hours at {time} at {business}. If you cannot make it, let us know here: {link}.{name}, your appointment is at {time}. Parking: {parking}. See you!After a cancellation
Hi {name}, your appointment on {date} has been cancelled. Would you like a new date? Every open slot is here: {link}.Hi {name}, we have cancelled your appointment on {date}. If you would like us to tell you when something sooner opens up, you can join the waitlist here: {link}.After a no-show
Hi {name}, we missed you today at {time}. Hope all is well. To book a new appointment: {link}.Hi {name}, your appointment today at {time} did not take place. For next time: cancelling up to {window} before the appointment costs nothing; after that the cancellation policy applies. A new appointment: {link}.Recurring appointments
Hi {name}, your regular appointment for {service} continues: the next one is on {day} {date} at {time}. To change a single appointment: {link}.Hi {name}, the appointment on {date} is the last one in the series we booked. Would you like to continue on the same day and time? You can here: {link}.The waitlist
Hi {name}, a slot for {service} has opened on {day} {date} at {time}. Want it? Confirm by {deadline}: {link}. Otherwise it goes to the next person on the list.Hi {name}, you are on the waitlist for {service}. When a matching slot opens up, we will send a message with a link to confirm. To update your preferences: {link}.Changes at the business
Hi {name}, around {holiday} we will be open {hours}. Your appointment on {date} stays as booked. If anything changes on your side: {link}.Hi {name}, we are sorry — we need to move your appointment from {old date} to {new date} at {time}. Does that work? If not, pick another time here: {link}.After the visit
Hi {name}, thank you for coming today. Your next appointment is recommended in {number} weeks. You can book it now: {link}.Common mistakes
- A message with no name. "Hello, a reminder for your appointment tomorrow" looks like spam, and there is no telling who sent it.
- A message with no way to cancel. A client who cannot cancel in one tap simply does not cancel — and does not come.
- A question nobody can answer. "Are you coming?" from a number that cannot be replied to. If the messages go out from a system, make sure a reply reaches someone.
- A promotion inside a reminder. That turns a service message into advertising, for the client and under the law.
- An unreasonable hour. A reminder at night or on a day of rest does more harm than good.
- Too many. Three reminders for a twenty-minute haircut is harassment.
What the system does by itself
Good templates are half the work. The other half is that they go out on time, to every client, with nobody having to remember. In Torly, reminders go out by SMS or WhatsApp as you set them, at the hour you chose, with a link to confirm and to cancel, and in the language the client booked in on the booking site. If the client has no WhatsApp, the message goes by SMS. The wording can be adapted, and the rules (how long before, for which services) are set once.
Вопросы и ответы
How many reminders should one appointment get?
One the day before is the baseline. For a long or expensive treatment, add a short one two or three hours before. Three or more for the same appointment feel like pressure, and clients start ignoring them.
Should reminders go by WhatsApp or SMS?
WhatsApp is read more and is easier to answer, but a business-initiated message must be a pre-approved template sent to a client who consented. SMS reaches every phone with no app. Many businesses send on WhatsApp and fall back to SMS when the number has no WhatsApp.
What goes in the first line?
The client's name and the business's name. A message that opens with "Hello" and no name looks automated and foreign, and the client is not sure who it is from. A first name and the business name solve that in a few words.
Can I send reminders without consent?
A reminder about an appointment the client booked is a service message about an existing transaction, not advertising. A marketing message, by contrast, needs prior consent under most countries' anti-spam rules. Do not mix them: an appointment reminder carries no promotions.
How do I write a reminder in the client's language?
When the client booked in a particular language on the booking site, the system knows which language to write to them in. If you write by hand, keep a text for every language your clients speak, and do not translate on the spot on your phone.
What do I do when a client replies to a reminder with a question?
Answer. A reminder from a number that cannot be answered is a bad reminder. If the messages go out from a system, make sure a client's reply reaches someone, or that the message says whom to contact.
Источники
Обновлено · Автор: Моти Ханука
Создаёт Torly – систему онлайн-записи для малого бизнеса – и каждый день работает с владельцами, которым нужен полный календарь и меньше звонков. Пишет здесь о том, чему мы учимся по пути.