Schedulista provides online appointment scheduling software for your business or organization to allow your clients to book with you 24/7. We send reminders for each appointment to help make sure your clients don't miss an appointment.
When clients book online, they can opt to receive text (SMS) reminders for their appointment. You can also opt for clients to receive text reminders for appointments you set for them directly on your calendar.
Note: The text/SMS reminders are not available in every country. You can check here to see if they are available where you are located.
Note about client opt-in permission
Make sure to ask your clients for permission to opt them into receiving text/SMS reminders for the appointments you set for them.
You’re responsible for getting the client's consent to be in compliance with applicable laws.
Clients can always opt out of receiving the reminders by responding to one of the reminders with the terms STOP, CANCEL, END, QUIT, or UNSUBSCRIBE. After opting out, responding to one of the reminders with the term START will opt them into receiving the reminders again.
Contents:
Text (SMS) reminder basics
Main article: Types of notifications sent to clients
Clients are sent up to two (2) text reminders for each appointment when opted in:
The first text reminder is sent at the same time as the reminder email. By default, this is based on your online cancellation policy.
If your policy is 24 hours or more before the appointment, we add an additional 24 hours to send the reminders. (e.g., with a 24-hour cancellation policy, reminders are sent 48 hours before the appointment)
If your policy is less than 24 hours before the appointment, we send the reminders 24 hours prior to the appointment.
You can see how long before the appointment the reminders will be sent under the Appointment Reminders section on the Confirmations, Reminders, Notifications page in settings. You can set an override so the reminders will be sent independent of the cancellation policy.
The second text reminder is sent on the same day of the appointment as a "last-minute" reminder. You can opt for this to be sent 1, 2, or 3 hours prior to the appointment per the client's preference.
Note: If you set an appointment in less time in advance than the reminder is normally sent, that reminder will not be sent.
(e.g., if you set an appointment less than 48 hours in advance and the first reminders are normally sent 48 hours before an appointment, the first reminder will not be sent. If you set an appointment less than 1 hour in advance and the client is set to receive the second "last minute" reminder 1 hour prior to the appointment, the second reminder will not be sent.)
Important note about opting clients in
Opting clients in through their client record only applies to the appointments you set for the client directly on your calendar.
Clients must still opt to receive text reminders for any appointment that they book online themselves, regardless of whether the Receive SMS option is checked on their client record or not.
Opting in existing clients
You can edit a client's record through the Clients page on the web app or the Clients tab on the mobile app to opt for them to receive text reminders.
On the web app
(1) Go to Settings > Clients
(2) Search for a client record (by name, by email address, by phone)
(3) Click the edit button next to their client record for full details
(4) In the Edit Client dialog, check the box next to Receive SMS
(5) Select how soon before the appointment the client will receive the "last-minute" text reminder: 1, 2, or 3 hours prior to the appointment
(6) Click Save
On the mobile app
version 7.3 and above
(1) Tap on Clients
(2) Search for a client record (by name, by email address, by phone)
(3) Tap the client's name to view full details
(4) On the Edit Client page, tap the toggle next to Text/SMS to turn on
(5) Tap the Hour Before section to select how soon before the appointment the client will receive the "last-minute" text reminder: 1, 2, or 3 hours prior to the appointment
(6) Tap Save on the top right
Opting in existing clients while setting an appointment
As you are setting an appointment on your calendar for an existing client, you can edit their record to opt for them to receive text reminders.
On the web app
(1) While setting the appointment, click the edit button next to the client's contact information
(2) In the Edit Client dialog, check the box next to Receive SMS
(3) Select how soon before the appointment the client will receive the "last-minute" text reminder: 1, 2, or 3 hours prior to the appointment
(4) Click Save
(5) Finish setting the appointment
On the mobile app
version 7.3 and above
(1) While setting the appointment, tap Add Client
(2) Tap an existing client from the list to add them to the appointment
(3) Tap the client's name on the appointment details
(4) On the Client Details page, tap the client's name at the top
(5) On the Edit Client page, tap the toggle next to Text/SMS to turn on
(6) Tap the Hour Before section to select how soon before the appointment the client will receive the "last-minute" text reminder: 1, 2, or 3 hours prior to the appointment
(7) Tap Save on the top right to return to the Client Details page
(8) On the Client Details page, note the chat bubble icon now next to the client's phone number indicating they have text reminders enabled for the appointments you set for them. Tap the Back arrow on the top left to return to the Appointment details.
(9) Finish setting the appointment
Opting in new clients
If you are creating a new client record while setting an appointment on your calendar, you can opt for the new client to receive text reminders.
On the web app
(1) While setting the appointment, click the New Client button
(2) In the New Client dialog, fill in their name and contact information
(3) Check the box next to Receive SMS
(4) Select how soon before the appointment the client will receive the "last-minute" text reminder: 1, 2, or 3 hours prior to the appointment
(5) Click Save
(6) Finish setting the appointment
On the mobile app
version 7.3 and above
(1) While setting the appointment, tap Add Client
(2) Tap the plus [+] symbol on the top right to add a new client
(3) On the Create Client page, fill in the details
(4) Tap the toggle next to Text/SMS to turn on
(5) Tap the Hour Before section to select how soon before the appointment the client will receive the "last-minute" text reminder: 1, 2, or 3 hours prior to the appointment
(7) Tap Save on the top right to return to the Appointment details
(8) Finish setting the appointment
keywords: text, SMS, reminder, reminders, client, clients, opt, appointments, calendar