Almost every person we interact with owns a phone, including your clients. For some businesses, an appointment confirmation is vital to reduce the absenteeism rate. Phones can be an excellent way to deliver these reminders.
A confirmation text is particularly important if you have a beauty salon, healthcare center or business that provides any service requiring an appointment. It helps optimize resources and save time.
But how can you implement appointment confirmation?
Nowadays, no one has time for phone calls confirming their appointments, so appointment reminder texts can be a good choice. Although it might seem that appointment reminders are not personalized enough, it’s important to note that they can be customized to match the tone of your brand, business or service.
Fortunately, there are many appointment confirmation message templates you can use to smoothly incorporate texting in your business. Take a look at the following tips to create excellent upcoming appointment options.
Table of Contents
- Appointment Confirmation Texts: What Are They?
- Appointment Reminder Templates and Confirmation Text Examples
- Automatize the Entire Appointment Confirmation Process with Amelia
- How to Create an Effective Appointment Confirmation Text: Tips and Advice
Appointment Confirmation Texts: What Are They?
Appointment confirmation texts serve as a friendly reminder to your customers and include all the details that are relevant for the upcoming appointment.
Several no-show appointments can affect your business negatively. Each one costs you time, resources and money. A common reason people miss appointments is simply forgetfulness, and this can be easily resolved with an appointment confirmation text.
One of the ways to minimize the no-show rate and prevent last-minute appointment cancellations is to learn how to properly utilize confirmation and reminder SMS messages. These are sent a few days or even hours before an appointment, so that the person can confirm, cancel or reschedule. All they have to do is follow a link, and this saves you a lot of trouble.
Service-based businesses in various fields follow this approach, such as veterinary and medical services, dentists, and beauty salons, to name a few.
SMS appointment confirmations and reminders can be simple or complex, as we can see in the following examples:
Simple SMS reminder:
“Hi there. This is a quick reminder of your haircut appointment today at .”
Complex SMS reminder:
“Hello, Sophia! We want to remind you about your kinesiology session with Dr. Hopeson today at 2 p.m. If you want to reschedule your appointment, please click here.”
Now, it’s important you establish the goal of your SMS reminders. You are not trying to sell, and you are not trying to engage your customer with your brand; you just need them to confirm or reschedule so you can plan ahead.
If you know that a person won’t show up, you can use this time for other tasks and optimize your business workflow, and that’s just one of the benefits of using text message reminders.
Appointment Reminder Templates and Confirmation Text Examples
In this section you’ll find appointment confirmation and reminder templates for different industries.
Medical practices
“Hi, Julian. This message is to remind you of your appointment on June 9th at 2 p.m. This consultation is specially booked for you and Dr. Hopeson. If you need to cancel, please do so 48 hours in advance by texting or calling this number.”
“Hi, Mary. You have been invited to an interview at our ‘Healthy and Happy’ center at 350024th street. If you have any questions, please call (1111) 567-890. Patricia.”
“Hi, Susan. Please remember your appointment with Doctor Hopeson at the Memorial Hospital on June 10th at 2 p.m. Text CONFIRM or CANCEL, and STOP to end.”
“Please remember your appointment with Dr. [last name] on [date and time] at [place]. Please let us know in advance if you wish to cancel or reschedule. [Business name and contact details].”
“This is [receptionist name] from [clinic’s name] to remind you of your appointment for a [procedure] with Dr. [last name] on [date and time] at [address].”
“Your appointment with Dr. [last name] is tomorrow at [time]. Please make sure to arrive 10 minutes early. Reschedule or cancel by texting [keyword/digit].”
Dentists
“Hi, Sarah! Your appointment with our dental hygienist is tomorrow at 2 p.m. at our Woodbury Lane branch. To reschedule, just click here [link].”
“Dear Mary, congratulations on choosing a white and bright smile for this season! We will be expecting you on June 15th at 3 p.m. at our Rangerly branch at 3500 24th street. Feel free to cancel or reschedule your appointment by calling or texting this number.”
“Dear Mary Johnson. You have an appointment at the Lincoln Dentist Center for a whitening procedure. We will be expecting you on June 13th at 2 p.m. If you cannot make it, please call us at (111) 567-890 to change the date and time of your visit.”
Beauty salons
“Hi, Julia! This is Tiffany from the Beauty for the Soul center. I have received your request for a massage on the 10th of June at 5 p.m. We are really looking forward to your visit! To avoid any no-show fees, make sure to let us know if you need to reschedule. Call this number to reschedule or cancel.”
“Hi, Josephine. You are booked for a haircut at the Beauty for the Soul salon on June 14th at 10 a.m. Need to reschedule? Call (111) 567-890 and let us know a more suitable time for you!”
“Natalia, thank you for booking a haircut at our Beauty for the Soul salon. You are scheduled for 06.06.22 at 2 p.m. Text CANCEL or CONFIRM. To reschedule, call our office at (111) 555-55555. Text STOP to end.”
“Are you ready to look prettier? You are booked for a laser hair removal session tomorrow at 3 p.m. See you tomorrow!”
“Good morning, Kate Miller. This is Sarah Michelle from the Beauty for the Soul salon. You are scheduled for a haircut with Natalia Coleman on June 16th at 3 p.m. If you have any questions regarding this appointment, please reply to this message.”
Veterinarians
“Dear [name], [pet’s name] has an appointment scheduled with Dr. [last name] on [date and time] on [address]. Please confirm your attendance!”
“Hi, there! [Pet’s name] is scheduled for [his/her] surgery follow-up tomorrow at 2 p.m. We’ll see you there. Call if you want to reschedule and avoid no-show fines!”
“Cookie has a surgery appointment at Willbourg Veterinarians on June 10th at 10 a.m. Reply Yes to confirm or HELP for more options.”
“Hi, Sarah! We are expecting you and Frido tomorrow for his bath! The appointment is at 11 a.m. Do you need to make any changes? Please call us at (111) 444-4444. See you both tomorrow!”
Banks
“Mr. Brooks, this is a message regarding your appointment at Central Bank on July 1st,9 a.m. If you wish to reschedule or cancel, please call this number. Type STOP to end.”
“Good morning, Katherine! This is a quick reminder of your financial consultation at Central Bank at 3478 24th street. Your appointment is on July 1st at 10 a.m. Text YES to confirm, or call this number to reschedule.”
“Hi, Jason. You have an appointment with our investment advisor, John Smith, on June 24th at 9 a.m. He’ll be expecting you at his office in the Central branch, second floor. Please reply to reschedule or cancel.”
“Good Morning, [first name]! You have an appointment on [date and time] at our [branch name] at [address]. Text YES to confirm or call this number to reschedule.”
Fitness centers
“Hello, [first name]! This is a quick reminder of your two-hour workout session scheduled for tomorrow at 5 p.m. Call me if you have any questions! [Personal trainer’s name].”
“Hello, [name], this is [personal trainer’s name] at [gym name]. Text YES to confirm your appointment on [date and time]. See you then!”
Miscellaneous
“Hello, [client name]. Please text YES to confirm your driving lesson appointment on [date and time]. To cancel, please reply NO. To reschedule, click [link].”
“[Company name] has received your request for full vehicle maintenance. The maintenance will last [duration] and is scheduled for [date and time] at [address]. Reply CONFIRM if you can attend this appointment or HELP if you need to reschedule.”
“Hi, Sophia! We have you booked for a property evaluation appointment on July 2nd at 1 p.m. Text YES to confirm. Phone: (111) 444-4444. Julia Thompson.”
“Hello, [first name], your appointment with [company name] on [date and time] is confirmed under the number [registration number]. You can cancel this appointment through our website. Text STOP to unsubscribe.”
Education
“Hi, Kevin. Reply YES to confirm your career consultancy sessions on [date and time] at [company name]. If you need any help, please reply to this message.”
“Good morning, [name]. You have a guitar lesson of [duration] with [teacher’s name] on [date and time]. The teacher will be expecting you at [branch name]. Reply OK to confirm, or answer this message to reschedule.”
“Rehearsal room number [room number] is booked for [first and last name] on [date and time]. To avoid possible fines, please adhere to the rules attached on the board and leave the place neat and clean.”
Retail businesses
“Hey, Laura! We received your RSVP for our major sale on June 18th at 5 p.m. at our main branch! We hope you’ll find everything you need, and we’ll see you there!”
“Mary Rivero is scheduled for a dress fitting with [company name] on [date and time]. We’ll be expecting you at our main branch located at [address]. Please don’t leave us hanging! Reply to this message for any changes in your reservation.”
Automatize the Entire Appointment Confirmation Process with Amelia
Staying organized has never been easier – Amelia handles everything for you, including appointment confirmations.
You can now manage your business and grow your brand with a single, powerful WordPress booking plugin that keeps all of your appointments in line, your clients organized and your business booming.
What’s more, your clients will never forget about their appointment bookings thanks to Amelia’s easy-to-use email notifications and SMS notifications. Once set up, these notifications will streamline and optimize your appointment confirmation processes, saving you both time and money.
Want to know more? Check out Amelia’s awesome features to see what you are missing.
How to Create an Effective Appointment Confirmation Text: Tips and Advice
Reminder texts must have certain information, such as the appointment date. It’s important that the customer receives the necessary information about their scheduled appointment and a call to action encouraging them to confirm.
Here are some appointment confirmation text tips that can be useful when creating your own.
Personalize your appointment reminder: add the customer’s name
SMS texting is more personal than a phone call or email, as this is how people communicate with friends and family. Hence, we recommend starting with “Hi, John,” if your business is informal. If you want to go for a more formal approach you can always choose “Hello, John Smith.”
The tone should not be the same for a beauty salon, a doctor’s office or a financial firm. Yet in each case, you should address the client by his or her name. This provides a personalized touch that will help you keep your attendance rate at its best.
Then it’s time for the rest of the information. What you will add to your confirmation text and how to do it are described in the next sections.
Introduce yourself properly
Even if a person has booked your service, it doesn’t mean that they know who you are from the text alone. They might not have your number registered among their contacts. Also, they might have appointments with other providers.
Therefore, it’s not a waste of time to add your company’s name to your appointment reminder. Thus, the client can recognize you easily and is less likely to dismiss your appointment confirmation message.
Collect an opt-in
Before sending appointment reminder messages, make sure that the person has given you consent. You can collect opt-ins to receive text messages in various ways; clients can fill out a digital form or a printed one in person. Usually, at the time of registration, there is an opt-in checkbox.
Also, make sure that you are complying with the confidentiality regulations in place, and don’t send information to or from third parties or other companies.
Include all the information about the appointment: date, time and place
Every appointment confirmation text has the same goal: to remind customers about the place, time and date of their appointment. Although this was surely stipulated at the time of booking, we don’t know whether the person has kept all the data. Hence, it’s a good idea to include at least this information about the upcoming appointment. The following confirmation text speaks for itself:
“Hi, John. This is to remind you of your appointment tomorrow at 2 p.m. with Doctor Hopeson at the General Hospital, located at 1267 24th street, second floor.”
Confirm important details
At this point, you have to be careful. You don’t want to burden clients with unnecessary details, but you have to give them the basic information.
For example, let them know if they must arrive 10 minutes early if they need to register at the reception, or if they need to bring any important documents with them.
Make sure your SMS appointment reminders are concise yet informative.
Encourage your customers to confirm appointments
Besides the confirmation option, customers should be able to cancel or reschedule easily. Include a link in your appointment reminders so that they can do this hassle free, avoiding tiresome phone calls and emails.
By handling rescheduling this way, you save a lot of resources. Text messages are easier for staff to handle than phone call reminders, because they don’t need to be immediately on hand to answer them.
With reminder texts, receptionists can handle many more requests at a time as they come in.
Here is an appointment reminder text message example:
“Dear Mary, this message is to confirm your massage appointment on Wednesday, June 8th at our Hartford branch. To cancel or reschedule, please click here. Otherwise, press ‘A’ to confirm.”
Include an unsubscribe button
While text reminders are useful, not everyone prefers this method. Make sure customers have the option to unsubscribe if they don’t wish to receive any more SMS appointment reminders.
Include customer support contacts
Don’t forget to include a phone number for client support. Even if they can reply directly to the appointment confirmation text you sent, some customers may feel more comfortable having someone to call if they need help. The following example illustrates this well.
“Dear Mary, you have an appointment on Wednesday, June 8 that the ‘Healthy and Happy’ Hartford branch. Reply to respond or reschedule by calling our office: (111) 456-7890.”
In case you would like to learn how to create effective email reminders, read our guide on creating awesome appointment confirmation emails for your clients.
Wrapping Up
Appointment confirmation texts are crucial step in ensuring that the upcoming appointment really takes place.
By writing text messages to confirm the upcoming appointment, you optimize your workflow and make better use of your resources. Although sending appointment reminders is no guarantee of 100% attendance, they surely reduce the absenteeism rates.
Also, a well-crafted appointment reminder is an excellent way to keep your audience engaged with your brand.
You can choose to use any of these appointment reminder templates or write your own confirmation text. The important thing is to always keep the goal in mind: reduce no-shows.
