Text reminders that cut the forgotten appointments
Most people who miss an appointment didn't decide not to come. They just forgot, and an email sitting unread three days back didn't save them.
Where it hurts
A text gets read. Nearly everyone opens one within minutes, which is why a reminder that arrives the day before actually lands where an email doesn't.
Doing it by hand is the problem. Someone's meant to go down tomorrow's list and message everyone, and on a busy day that's the first job that slips. So it happens for some people and not others, and the no-shows creep back.
There's also the tone to get right. A reminder that reads like a threat annoys good customers, and one that's too vague doesn't help. It needs to say who, when, where, and what to do if they can't make it.
What I'd build
I'd connect your calendar or booking system to a texting service like Twilio so a reminder goes out automatically, in your wording, at whatever timing suits: the day before, a couple of hours before, or both. The bit most setups skip is what happens when people text back. Replies arrive as plain words ('can't make it', 'any chance of Thursday?'), so I'd add an AI step that reads each one, works out whether it's a cancellation, a reschedule or a question, frees the slot straight away when someone drops out, and drafts the answer ready for whoever runs the diary to approve and send. Email confirmations you already send stay as they are; the text is the nudge that gets seen, and the replies stop being a job someone has to keep on top of.
What changes
- A reminder goes out before every appointment, automatically
- Sent by text so it actually gets read
- Replies read and understood, with a response drafted for you to send
- Cancelled slots freed straight away so someone else can take them
Related fixes
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